How to choose a party theme

Themed parties are certainly making a comeback, but it can be tricky deciding on your party theme. Your theme helps to set the scene and tone of your event and can have a big impact on the success, so it’s worth spending some time researching what theme will best suit your event.

Considering a few different factors can make deciding on your theme easy.

Event type – Is your event a significant birthday party, a baby shower, a business event or a hen’s party? It’s important to consider the type of event and keep this in mind when brainstorming an appropriate theme.

Formality – How formal is the event? Some party themes like 70’s, 80’s and disco themes lend themselves to less formal, energetic events, however other more formal events may call for something a little more sophisticated or classic.

Guests – Who are your guests? Think about their age, their life stage, the other types of events their likely to be going to and what is going to be most appropriate and memorable for them.

Venue – If you’ve already decided on a venue, think about how well your venue will suit your theme. How easily can your venue be transformed to support theme you’re considering. If the venues is not yet chosen, consider the types of venues you may need to use and the costs involved when you’re thinking about potential theme ideas.

Guest of honour/host – Spend some time thinking about the guest of honour or the party host and what they love, what their personality is like and what type of event they would love. Inspiration can come from their name, their interests, favourite colours, past times, movies, animals… you may even decide to put a current trend on a classic theme. Brainstorm ideas and you’ll be surprised at what you can come up with!

Trends – Are there any current trends that you could build on? Little Chef parties and green thumb parties are examples of party themes that have recently become popular as a result of the media coverage about cooking and environmental responsibility.

Most themes ideas work equally as well for adults parties as they do for kids and the following two resources are a great place to start when considering your next party theme: